becker



2 Sheets-Sheet 1. F. L. BECKER.

DOOR CHECK.

' (No Model.)

No. 374,337. Patented Dec. 6, 1887 (No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 2.

F. L. BECKER.

DOOR. GHEGK.

No. 374,337. Patented Dec. 6, 1887.

III.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANCIS L. BECKER, OF NEYV YORK, N.

DOOR-CHECK.

$PECIFICATJZQN forming part of Letters Patent No.374,337, dated December6 1887.

Application filed July 27, 1887.

T0 at whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANCIS L. BECKER, ofthe city of New York, countyand State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Door-(Jheck, ofwhich the following is a specification.

These improvements embrace- First, adoor-check in which the latter partof the closing movement of a door, actuated by a door-closing spring, iscontrolled by a brake acting upon the periphery of a buffer in the formof an eccentric or scroll cam, which, by means of a spring or itsequivalent, is made to present its longer radius for initially engagingthe brake. The brake may be aflixed to the door and the buffer mountedupon the jamb,

. or the buffer may be mounted upon and carried by the door and thebrake be aifiXed to thejamb. In either case the buffer, by contact withthe brake, is rocked upon its axis, and the door is permitted toconclude the latter portion of its closing movement by the gradualdiminution in radius of the part of the buffer in contact with thebrake.

Secondly, the combination ofa door-check of the character described witha door-closing apparatus containing a spring which is automaticallycharged and locked during the opening movement of the door, and isunlocked at a prescribed stage in the closing movement of the door, andthereafter exerts its force to finish or assist in finishing the closingmovement of the door.

Thirdly, certain features of adjustability by means of which theapparatus is given the capacity of adaptability to doors of differentsizes and weights.

The accompanying drawings are as follows: Figure 1 is an elevation of aportion of adoor and door-frame to which is affixed door-closing anddoor checking apparatus embodying these improvements. Fig. 2 is ahorizontal section through the line a: w on Fig. 1, affording a top viewof such door-closing and doorchecking apparatus, showing the doorclosed. Fig. 3 illustrates a modification in which the scroll-cam-shapedbuffer of the door-checking apparatus shown in Figs. 1 and 2 ispivotally mounted upon a bracket supported upon the door-frame, insteadof upon the door. 7

The door-checking apparatus consists of a Serial No. 245,408. [Nomodel.)

pivoted buffer, A, having the form of a scrollshaped or wiper cam, and aspring-brake, B, for receiving the impact of the buffer at the desiredstage in the closing movement of the door. The buffer is pivotallymounted upon the bracket 0. A spring, D, exerts its strain upon thebuffer in the direction of the curved arrow (1, and the buffer is thusmade to normally present its larger radius for initial contact with thebrake.

The brake is simply a spring-bar presenting its free end for engagingthe buffer.

In the construction shown in the drawings the bar I) is centrallysupported upon the expanding spiral spring I), and is held in positionthereon by the screw 12 loosely inserted through a hole in the bar I),and through the spiral spring I), and screwedinto the objecteither thedoor or the jamb, as the case may beupon which the brake is mounted. Another screw, I), is loosely inserted through a hole near one end of thebar b, and is screwed into the same object. Each of the screws b and baffords a means for adjusting the brake toward or from the direction inwhich it approaches or is approached by the butter, and of adjusting theangle of the surface of the brake relatively to the path of movement ofthe door. By changing this angle in one direc tion the surface of thebuffer slides more easily upon the brake, and thus less resistance isop: posed to the closing movement of the door. By changing the angle inthe opposite direc' tion the surface of the buffer slides less easily,

and thus more resistance is opposed to the closing movement of the door.

\Vhile the door-check is operating the bulfer is being turned upon itsaxis in opposition to the force which the spring D exerts upon it; hencewhen the door is so far opened that the buffer and brake are disengagedfromeach other the tension of the spring D causes the buffer to turnback upon its axis to its normal position, at which it is arrested bythe collision of the adjustable screw-stop a with its cushion a. In theconstruction shown in the drawings the screw-stop a is inserted into theheel of the buffer, and its cushion a is affixed to the bracket 0. Itwill of course be seen that the screw-stop can with like effect beinserted in the bracket and be provided with a cushion affixed to theheel of the buffer. The efiect of varying the projection of theadjustable screwstop a, is to vary the radius of the part of the bufferwhich initially engages the brake, and hence to vary the range of thatpart of the closing movement of the door during which the checkingoperation is being performed. This feature of adj ustability, withincertain limits, adapts the door-checking apparatus for employment inconnection with doors of different weights. By means of thebrake-baradjusting screws 1)" and b the brake-bar is so adjusted whenthe door is fully closed that the free end of the brake-bar occupies itsnormal position and exerts little or no pressure upon the buffer. 7

To prevent noise and to increase the frictional hold of the brake uponthe buffer, it is desirable to apply a leather cover to the face of thebuffer, or to the surface of the part of the brake-bar against which thebuffer bears, or to both.

In the drawings the face of the buffer is represented as covered with astrip, a,which may be composed of leather or any other suitablesemi-elastic material.

It will be seen that the operation of the doorchecking apparatusrequires the existence of a force tending to impart the closing movementto the door. This force may be supplied by any form of door-spring;butit is preferred to employ,in combination with the door-checkingapparatus, a supplemental door-closing spring of the character of thatshown and described in Letters Patent of the United States, No. 354,087,issued to Francis L. Becker December 14-, 1886. The peculiarity of thesaid supplemental door-closing spring is that it is automaticallydistended or charged and locked in its distended'position during thefirst portion of the opening movement of the door,and at a prescribedstage in the closing movement of the door is unlocked, and thus setfree, to exert its force in finishing or assisting to finish the closingmovement of the door. It thus supplies the force required to overcomethe friction of the brake upon the buffer during the latter part of theclosing movement of the door while the checking apparatus is inoperation.

For the sake of compactness in construction,

the supplemental door-closing spring E is arranged with its axis in aplane parallel with the plane of motion of the actuating bell-cranklever F. The spring E is connected at one end to the adjusting-screw e,and at the other end to the lower part of the rocker e. The upper end ofthe rocker e is connected by the pitman G to the shorter arm f of thebellcrank lever F. The concave side of the curved arm f of thebell-crank lever F, during the first portion of the opening movement ofthe door, bears against the roller H. By this bearing the bell-cranklever is rocked upon its pivot F, and the crank-pin g, to which thepitman G is connected, is rocked across the center of the pivot F by thetime the door has so far opened as to withdraw the end of the curved armf from the roller H. WVhen the parts are in this position, thesupplemental door-closing spring E is distended and locked, andthereafter exerts no force tending to close the door, until at aprescribed stage in the closing movement of the door the convex side ofthe curved arm f is brought into collision with the adjustable tripperI, by contact with which the bell-crank lever F is rocked backward untilthe tension of the door closing spring E, exerted through the rocker eand the pitman G upon the shorter arm f of the bell-crank lever, pullsthe concave side of the arm against the roller H, and force is thusexerted in a direction tending to close the door.

As represented in the drawings, the tripper I is a simple screw, thehead of which is pre sented for theimpact of the curved arm of thebell-crank lever. The adjustable tripper is especially useful, becauseit affords an opportunity of suitably varying the stage in the closingmovement of the door at which the supplemental door-closing spring isunlocked and its force brought into action to increase the impetus ofthe door to the extent which may be required for the most effectiveoperation of the door-checking apparatus.

The system of levers by which the force of the supplemental door-closingspring is ap plied to close the door is substantially similar to thatshown in the hereirrreferredto Letters Patent of the United States, No.354,087, and hence does not here require any more elaborate descriptionin detail. The adjustable tripper, however, is new, and has anespecially useful relation to the door-checking apparatus, as has beendescribed. As the supplemental door-closing spring E is not brought intoaction until near the closing movement of the door, it is assumed that aspring or other equivalent instrumentality is employed to impart theinitial closing movement to the door. As represented in the drawings,the closing movement of the door is initiated by means of the maindoor-closing spring K, one end of which is connected with the door andthe other With the jamb.

The drawings represent the brake as affixed to the jamb and the bufferand the supplemental door-closing spring'and its actuatinglever asmounted upon and carried by the door. It will of course be seen that theposition of the parts may be reversed without departing from theinventionthat is, the buffer and the supplemental door-closing springand its actuating-lever maybe mounted upon thejamb and the brake androller H be mounted upon and I carried by the door.

What is claimed as the invention is 1. Apparatus for checking theclosing movement of a door, composed, essentially, of a yielding brakeand a pivoted scroll-shaped buffer provided with a spring for normallyrocking the same, after its disengagement from the brake during theopening movement of the door, into the position in which it presents itslonger radius for re-engagement with the brake at a prescribed stage inthe closing movement of the door.

2. In door-checking apparatus of the character described, apivotally-mounted scrollshaped buffer, a spring for rocking the bufferupon its axis in one direction, and an adjustable stop for limiting therange of rocking movement imparted by such spring to the buffer.

3. In door-checking apparatus of the character described, thecombination, as herein set forth, of a pivotally-mounted scroll-shapedbuffer with an adjustable yielding brake-bar.

4. The combination, as herein described, of the buffer A, the spring D,the adjustable stop a, and the yielding brake B, as and for the purposesset forth.

5. The combination, as herein described, of the buffer A, the spring D,the adjustable stop a, the brakebar b, and the brakc-bar-adjustingscrews 1) and b, as and for the purposes set forth.

6. The combination, as herein described, of door checking apparatus,composed, 'essen- 25 tially, of a scroll shaped buffer pivotally mountedupon the door and a brake affixed to the jamb, with the supplementaldoor-clos ing spring E and the lever system connected with saidsupplemental door-closing spring, as 0 and for the purposes set forth.

7. The combination, as herein described, of door checking apparatus,composed, essentially, of a scroll shaped buffer pivotally mounted uponthe door and a brake affixed 5 to the jamb, with the supplemental doorelosing spring E, the lever system connected with said spring, and thetripper I, as and for the purposes set forth.

FRANCIS L. BECKER.

\Vitnesses:

F. V. BRIEsuN, \VILLIAM PARTINGTON.

